In recent years, mobile devices that are configured to detect a user's position, e.g., devices that include global positioning system (GPS) functionality, have become increasingly popular with consumers. A GPS system may be configured to determine a user's geographic location on the earth, e.g., a latitude and/or longitude. Such devices may be configured to execute application software that interfaces with device sensors and/or network-accessible information to determine a user's geographic location.
GPS-enabled devices may provide a user with feedback, such as a graphical depiction of a map that may be updated to show a user's location and/or a desired directional path. Some GPS enabled devices further provide a user with verbal or textual feedback indicating a desired path for the user. Still other GPS-enabled devices provide a user with alternate forms of feedback for navigation purposes, such as a vibration, simulated voice prompt, or other form of alarm when the user has strayed from a desired path.
Other GPS-enabled devices may provide a user with feedback relative to the earth's directional poles in addition to a global position such as a provided by a GPS unit. For example, some mobile device navigation systems may utilize a magnetometer to determine a user's direction with respect to the magnetic poles of the earth (e.g., north, south, east, west). Such systems may update a graphical depiction of a map based on the user's directional focus.